Project Description

COMPOSITION

This page contains examples of my studio composition work. The earlier pieces were composed in the BEAST studios at the University of Birmingham and all others in my home studio in Birmingham. These works are intended for concert diffusion on a loudspeaker orchestra or acousmonium. Early works were composed in stereo but I have also begun composing in multichannel and ambisonic formats. Stereo reductions are provided here. Good quality speakers or headphones are recommended.

Stylistically the work is rooted in the musique concrète tradition and soundscape composition with some works sitting more firmly on one camp or the other. All works are created from my own field recordings and studio recordings of found objects. Some of these tracks may also be found on Soundcloud.

I also perform live laptop electronic music which draws on my studio practice and approach to material but in a live context. Abstract sonic manipulations sit alongside field recordings and, when the technology is available, I also spatialize the music over multiple speakers in real time. Examples of this work are available on the Performance page.

This page contains examples of my studio composition work. The earlier pieces were composed in the BEAST studios at the University of Birmingham and all others in my home studio in Birmingham. These works are intended for concert diffusion on a loudspeaker orchestra or acousmonium. Early works were composed in stereo but I have also begun composing in multichannel and ambisonic formats. Stereo reductions are provided here. Good quality speakers or headphones are recommended.

Stylistically the work is rooted in the musique concrète tradition and soundscape composition with some works sitting more firmly on one camp or the other. All works are created from my own field recordings and studio recordings of found objects. Some of these tracks may also be found on Soundcloud.

I also perform live laptop electronic music which draws on my studio practice and approach to material but in a live context. Abstract sonic manipulations sit alongside field recordings and, when the technology is available, I also spatialize the music over multiple speakers in real time. Examples of this work are available on the Performance page.

Annapurna Pastoral – One Hundred Springs

Annapurna Pastoral – One Hundred Springs (2012) is a meditation on the Himalayan soundscapes of Annapurna. The work follows a loose narrative of a pilgrimage to the sacred Hindu temples at Muktinath a site also revered by Buddhists who call it Chumig Gyatsa or ‘One Hundred Springs’; named after the 108 streams of water that flow from the mountain side. The work captures the peaceful, pastoral nature of these remote locations while referencing the deep-rooted spiritualism that the Himalaya inspire. Subverted references to the musical pastorale can be heard in the sound of the bansuri, sarangi and the use of drones.

The principal sound sources were recorded by the artist during a trek of the Annapurna circuit in Nepal, 2007. Since the recordings were made, the building of a road along the route of the trail has encroached further into the mountains, threatening to transform the region. With the completion of this project set to encircle the entire Annapurna massif by 2017 these recordings may serve as a document of soundscapes that have now been lost.

Matchine

Matchine (2006) was inspired by the matchstick, both for its sonic qualities as it is struck and burnt and as an image of an apparently inert object that, when subjected to the appropriate action and input of energy, can transform, switch state into something of fascination and beauty that is momentary, ephemeral. This image acts as a metaphor for the compositional processes employed in the work.

The match sounds serve as a starting point to which I added the sounds of small mechanical devices and other domestic objects which, due to their manipulation, demonstrate mechanistic qualities such as repetition and oscillation between different states. Further notions of ‘match’ are explored as I try to combine and unite suitable sounds from these differing sources, or indeed place contrasting sounds in conflict or competition with each other, all the while revealing a perceivable process that underlies the structure of the piece.

Tesseral Form No.1 – dirty grooves

tessera: (noun) a small block of stone, tile, glass or other material used in the construction of a mosaic.

dirty grooves (2003) is part of a series of works that employs short articulated blocks of sound material as a formal process. The composition of these blocks into longer structures reveals an impression of a specific place, subject or idea.

The starting point for this work is noise, specifically the extraneous or usually unwanted noise associated with the various media used for the playback of sound. The crackle of vinyl before a track begins or after it ends, electrical hum, tape hiss, radio interference, digital noise, static and clicks all bring into focus the mechanics of the medium and its potential to obstruct or interfere with the message. Here the message or ‘tune’ is derived from another mechanical music maker, the clockwork music box. Throughout the piece this primary material interacts with or introduces, through purely sonic associations, additional concrete material and so widening the scope of meaning contained in this message. While inherently noisy, harsh and some may say ugly my intention was always to present this kind of material with a sense of beauty and poise and perhaps a touch of nostalgia. The form is static, lingering, suspending time as if caught in a dirty groove.

Tesseral Form No.2 – Residence

tessera: (noun) a small block of stone, tile, glass or other material used in the construction of a mosaic.

Residence is part of a series of works that employs short articulated blocks of sound material as a formal process. The composition of these blocks into longer structures reveals an impression of a specific place, subject or idea. The title Residence refers to Birmingham, UK; the place in which I have resided since 1998. Included in the work is a selection of sounds recorded in different parts of the city and houses where I have lived. I was interested in exploring the juxtaposition of domestic and public, internal and external spaces and differences of scale or perspective.

Tesseral Form No.3 – Suspension

tessera: (noun) a small block of stone, tile, glass or other material used in the construction of a mosaic.

Residence is part of a series of works that employs short articulated blocks of sound material as a formal process. The composition of these blocks into longer structures reveals an impression of a specific place, subject or idea. The title Residence refers to Birmingham, UK; the place in which I have resided since 1998. Included in the work is a selection of sounds recorded in different parts of the city and houses where I have lived. I was interested in exploring the juxtaposition of domestic and public, internal and external spaces and differences of scale or perspective.